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Even if you love to work, you can’t do it constantly from morning until late at night— at least not for the long haul.

What you might not know is that when you get the right amount of sleep, you will have more energy and drive to do great things in the other five areas of your life.

The trick is to know at what time you work best, and then do your most essential tasks at this time. This is where daily routines come in, because they help you both identify and maximize those peak times for the six areas of your life.

Treat your peak hours as the most valuable by using them to complete the most important tasks on your list.

If you aren’t already aware of when your energy is at its peak, then monitor your behavior for a week. We suggest you keep a journal of how you feel and when you get the most done during different times of day. Identify the moments when you feel super productive.

If you consistently have problems getting high-quality sleep, start by following the tips mentioned earlier—

1. Keep a regular sleeping schedule.
2. Cut the caffiene.
3. Eat foods that enhance sleep.
4. Block out noise.
5. Shhut off electronics at least an hour before bed.
6. Block out light.
7. Make your bed comfortable and inviting.
8. Think happy thoughts.
9. Keep a sleep log.

Once you do that consistently, move on to creating a full bedtime routine.

For more details kindly refer to the book

Identify a handful of habits that make you feel energized. Start your day by building these activities into your routine. Keep the routine simple and only focus on the habits that start your day on the right foot.

For instance, you can spend a few minutes doing some of the following:

• Reading an inspirational article or blog post
• Thinking of things you are grateful for (working on happiness)
• Journaling your thoughts
• Writing down a short list of what you’ll accomplish in the day
• Sending a positive, loving message to your spouse or kids
• Meditating or praying
• Organizing your possessions or decluttering your home

Another approach is Hal Elrod’s “Miracle Morning.” Frankly, some people don’t want to guess at what they need to do every morning. That’s why many folks love Hal’s S.A.V.E.R.S. routine:

• Silence
• Affirmations
• Visualization
• Exercise
• Reading
• Scribing

Hal recommends spending 10 minutes on each activity. If you do them every day, you’ll begin each morning feeling inspired, energized and ready to maximize the next 12 to 14 hours of your day. You don’t have to pick a specific type of routine.

The important thing is to make a ritual out of them so you don’t realize at lunch time that you still have breakfast on your teeth because you forgot to floss in the morning.

For more details kindly refer to the book

Make a list of a few things you can do to increase your energy throughout the day.

Strategy #1: Take regular breaks.

One of the best ways to renew your energy is to take regular breaks. The key here is to do this throughout the day instead of going on one long break— like most people do during lunch.

Strategy #2: Try naps.

 Naps are a great thing to work into your daily routine. If you tend to run out of steam after lunch, a quick afternoon nap may be just what you need to get more done in the second half of your workday.

Strategy #3: Take quick steps to create more energy.

Creating energy isn’t just a matter of taking breaks throughout the day. There are a number of ways you can create energy without resorting to caffeine. Some of these might seem unusual, but all of them can make you feel invigorated when your energy levels are depleted.

• Listen to an energizing song.
• Change socks during the day. It sounds weird, but sometimes just changing your footwear can help you feel fresh and revived.
• Eat more soluble fiber.
• Have a healthy, low-carb snack. Too much food will make you more tired, but a small portion of a healthy snack will give you a nice boost.
• Wash your face with lavender soap..
• Stand up, stretch and breathe. Sometimes a quick stretch when you’re tired is all it takes to get a nice burst of energy.
• Dress sharply for work. If you wear a really nice suit or dress that makes you look fantastic, you will get that extra burst of energy.
• Lose some weight. It is easier said than done, but losing a few pounds makes a big difference when it comes to how energetic you feel.
• Reduce stress. Stress causes fatigue.
• Enjoy some revitalizing green tea.
• Take a walk outside and enjoy nature for a few minutes.
• Take a cold shower. This option isn’t for the faint of heart, but you might want to give it a try.

While it’s impossible to always feel 100 percent energized, you can quickly “recharge” by paying attention to your energy levels and knowing how to get those much-needed boosts when you’re feeling low.

For more details kindly refer to the book

You don’t need to be a gourmet cook or “master chef” here. Just come up with a few quick and healthy breakfast meals you can prepare in less than 10 minutes.

 Learn these recipes by heart and cook them on a regular basis so you can (almost) prepare them in your sleep.

• Oats 

You can even prepare oatmeal for the entire week ahead of time. Here are instructions for hot oatmeal prepared in advance. If you prefer cold oatmeal (especially when the weather is warm), check out these tips from The Yummy Life for refrigerator oatmeal and oatmeal smoothies.

• Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast burritos are a great choice, particularly since they can be made in bulk. Depending on what you put into them, you can even freeze them and then heat them in the microwave. This Lifehacker post has great ideas for breakfast burritos.

• Eggs

Eggs are a great source of protein, and are inexpensive and quick and easy to make. You can make eggs in a mug or simply scramble or fry an egg in just a minute or two.

• Breakfast on the Go

While it’s ideal to take the time to sit down and eat breakfast before heading out for the day, on some days it may be necessary to grab something to eat on the go. Here are a few ideas for that:

1.  Homemade breakfast bars
2. Green smoothies
3. 34 breakfast recipes

This will make it easier to incorporate breakfast into your daily routine and ensure you get your day off to a healthy start.

 It’s not very exciting, but packing your lunch each day of the week minimizes stress and helps eliminate the unhealthy decisions you often make during the workweek.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Leftovers

Put dinner leftovers into lunch-size ontainers for good grab-and-go lunches. Steve’s fiancée does this on a daily basis. Not only does she save money in the process, but she’s also never left wondering what she’ll have in the middle of the day.

• Salad in a Jar

Add all of the ingredients for a salad to a mason jar in the following order:

1.  Salad dressing on the bottom.
2. Then layers of “hard” vegetables such as carrots, radishes, broccoli, bell peppers, etc
3. Then a layer of protein, such as diced, cooked chicken or chopped, hard-boiled eggs.
4. Finally, salad greens such as spinach or lettuce on top.

When packed tightly, with the lid on tight, jar salads can easily stay fresh in the fridge for four or five days, so you can make enough on the weekend to last most of the workweek. The key is to keep the greens as far away from the dressing as possible so they don’t get soggy.

• Homemade Soups, Stews and Chili

Prepare your favorite soups, stews or chili ahead of time and freeze in serving-size containers (that are safe for microwave and oven use). Thaw out a serving and then heat it for a quick, healthy lunch. Rebecca likes to make a few different types on a weekend day, freeze them and have a variety available to use over the course of a month.

•   Wraps or Sandwiches

Sandwiches have been around for a long time and many of us grew up eating them— and for good reason. They are easy to prepare and make great additions to sack lunches.

The key is to have healthy ingredients on hand to make them. Buy a variety of vegetables and protein options such as low-sodium, nitrate-free lunch meat, eggs and natural peanut butter.

If you want to reduce the amount of carbs in your diet, wraps are a good option. There are even gluten-free options available for many types of wraps.

We often choose the “path of least resistance” when it comes to lunch. It might seem easier to buy a meal near work, but you can make a wiser choice with a little bit of planning. Not only does packing a lunch limit the number of decisions you have to make, it’ll also save you precious time and money.

This can be as simple as using a paper and pen to plan your meals and shopping list for the week. You could even subscribe to one of the meal planning services mentioned below:

• Relish
• Cook Smarts
• Saving Dinner
• Hello Fresh
• Plated
• Once-a-Month Cooking

Many foods, such as canned tuna, whole-wheat pasta (assuming you’re not on a gluten-free diet), canned tomatoes, canned beans, canned fruits/ veggies and popcorn, are the perfect solution when you’re stuck wondering what to eat. If you didn’t do your normal grocery shopping, you can use any of these ingredients to make a quick meal or snack.

Come up with a few “when all else fails” meal ideas to make with the non-perishable items you keep in your pantry (along with standard items you keep on hand in your freezer).

You don’t have to complete a lengthy exercise routine first thing in the morning. Odds are, you already have a number of obligations. All that’s really needed is 10 minutes of movement. You could take a walk, practice yoga or use an app like 7-Minute Workout.

For more details, kindly refer the book

Review the eight ideas for getting movement, then commit to doing a few throughout the day.

Idea #1: Ditch the car.

Idea #2: Walk with friends at lunch.

Idea #3: Walk during commercial breaks.

 Idea #4: Take periodic five-minute walking breaks.

Idea #5: Walk while talking.

Idea #6: Don’t stand— pace.

Idea #7: Take the stairs.

Idea #8: Learn while walking.

Pick an activity you think you’d enjoy on a regular basis. This could be something you do at home, outside or at the gym. The key here is to pick an activity that can be scheduled into your daily routine.

Use one of the apps we mentioned below to stay accountable for your new exercise habit. Don’t be afraid to start small. What’s more important is to stay consistent with the habit instead of trying to hit a specific milestone or exercise for a certain amount of time.

• Fitbit tracks the number of steps you take each day.
• Lift.do helps you track many healthy habits such as exercise, healthy food and drink choices and mental and spiritual practices such as gratitude.
• Jog.fm provides music to run by.
• Digifit iCardio is focused on cardiovascular health.
• Fitocracy hooks you up with a personal trainer to help you meet your fitness goals.
• Map My Fitness maps out running routes in various cities; it also includes a food log.
• MyFitnessPal is a great app for tracking both diet and exercise.
• Zombies, Run! makes a game out of running. It motivates you to run farther and faster in an attempt to escape the zombies.

Identify the routine activity that takes the most time. Whether it’s cleaning, organizing or managing parental duties, you should find the part of the day that often takes hours to complete. As an example, let’s say you find yourself cleaning for two hours every evening after work. This should be the first routine activity you adjust.

All routines are a series of small actions. Your goal is to break down this time-consuming routine and look for small changes that simplify it. Our advice is to use the Tiny Habits concept to create a number of small processes.

For instance, you might waste 15 minutes every night rinsing your dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. You could streamline this process by setting up a new rule (for you and your family): “After I finish my meal, I will take my dishes to the sink, rinse them and then put them into the dishwasher.” Use this simple rule to chip away at your biggest challenge.

Once you start systematizing all those small actions, you’ll notice that many routine activities won’t take as long as they once did.

Habits are built with consistency. Since these are smaller habits that don’t require too much willpower, you can get away with building two or three at a time. We recommend focusing on not breaking the chain, and completing them on a daily basis.

There are a lot of apps to help you stay consistent, or you can track these actions on a paper calendar. The important thing is to constantly reinforce this behavior.

You can streamline daily activities by incorporating them into morning and evening routines. If needed, create a routine where you only do a few of these actions. Then, once you’ve successfully built them into automatic behaviors, add a few more.

 Jot down a list of ideas you’d like to add to your daily or weekly routines. Put a note on your calendar to review that list once a month to determine if you’re ready to add anything new to your current habits.

On a scale of 1 (low energy) to 10 (high energy), determine the time of day when you’re at your best. Spend a week on this exercise so you have an accurate picture of how you feel during an average workday.

Repeat the same process with your routine tasks. Make a list of everything you do and assign each task a number (again, 1 = low energy, 10 = high energy).

 Evaluate your daily work responsibilities and put them in order of priority. Some will go on a daily task list, while others will be done weekly, quarterly or even annually. The important thing is to know what truly matters for your job.

Schedule time (every day) to complete the most important tasks on your list. You can assign actual times to tasks that need to be done on a daily or weekly basis and block out entire days (or a week if needed) for things such as quarterly or annual planning. This step is important because you’ll build the habit of giving priority to important tasks instead of working on them “whenever you have time.”

At the beginning of each day, select three to five MITs (Most Important Things) that need to be done that day and do those first. Only when they’re completed should you work on other tasks. Also, pay close attention to your energy levels. When you feel unproductive, switch tasks and do a task that doesn’t require a lot of thought or concentration.

 At the end of each day, evaluate what you’ve accomplished. If you completed the important tasks, then stick to the same routine. But if you struggled with your tasks, identify the leaks in your productivity and plug them. Finally, before you leave work, make tomorrow’s to-do list.

There are many obstacles that prevent you from having a stress-free, productive work environment. The good news is, if you’re smart about how you prioritize tasks, it’s not hard to stay focused.

 We suggest adopting a few habits:

Strategy #1: Kill the monkey.

This is a dangerous mindset where you let the thoughts in your head negatively impact the task you’re currently working on.

The best way to kill monkey mind is to jot down the thought on a piece of paper (even on your to-do list), then explore the idea when you’re not focused on a specific task.

 Part of the reason we recommend the Pomodoro Technique is that it forces you to focus on a task and ignore all distractions. If you strictly adhere to this concept, then you don’t “count” a task if you break concentration and do something else. The idea here is to teach you the discipline necessary to kill the monkey that often pops into your head.

Strategy #2: Close out email.

Email that is open all the time is too tempting. Even if you don’t respond to email as it comes in, the pinging notifications are often distracting enough to weaken your resolve and break your focus. Master your email by designating specific times for it; otherwise it will master you.

Strategy #3: Find the right noise levels.

Some people need absolute silence, while others need white noise to block out distracting sounds in their environment. It all depends on what works best for you. If you like to listen to music, experiment with different styles until you find one that helps you be more productive with each type of task. Steve prefers classical and relaxing music while writing, but he needs upbeat music when he’s working on mundane tasks.

 Strategy #4: Manage (or avoid) meetings.

Depending on your work situation, you may not have control over the meetings you attend, but if you do, keep the following tips in mind:

• Conduct meetings standing up. You can keep a chair or two in the room in case anyone really needs to sit down, but if the majority of the people are standing, the meeting won’t last long.
• Set an agenda for the meeting. Send it to attendees ahead of time so they have an opportunity to propose important items before the meeting starts. This keeps the point of the meeting clear and helps prevent you from falling down a rabbit hole of tangential topics.
• Put a time limit on each topic. People will learn to get the important things out fast and focus on work-critical conversations.
• Only invite people to the meeting if they absolutely need to be there. If you have 10 people at a meeting that takes an hour, you’ve used 10 man-hours, when perhaps only 3 were needed.

Most meetings are an incredible waste of time and human resources. We suggest that you either avoid meetings when you can or look for ways to streamline the entire process.

Strategy #5: Avoid multitasking.

You may feel you get more done when multitasking, but countless studies (like this one) have proven that people’s productivity diminishes when they engage in this activity.

In fact, multitasking reduces creativity, causes a higher ratio of mistakes and makes it harder to remember important details. We recommend that you work on one activity at a time and nothing else.

Strategy #6: Know how to deal with interruptions.

 You don’t always have as much control over your day as you’d like. What often happens is your workday becomes a series of interruptions, making it impossible to stay productive because you constantly have to deal with them.

Interruptions range from minor irritations (such as an unexpected phone call) to major problems (e.g., illness or the death of a family member). They also include major life changes such as getting married, giving birth or making a job change.

When these interruptions happen, it’s easy to fall out of your routine. Whether you fail to complete your tasks for one day or drop your entire exercise routine, interruptions definitely make it difficult to stay on track.

We all encounter interruptions, but what separates the successful people from everyone else is knowing how to handle them when they occur. Here are a few ways to do this:

•  Accept the fact that interruptions will happen— they are a fact of life. What you can control is your response to these random events.
• Create interruption buffers. Identify how you’re often interrupted (phone calls, text messages, email or people in your office) and take a proactive approach that prevents them from happening when you’re engaged in an important task.

As an example, you could wear a pair of noise-canceling headphones at work. Even if you’re not listening to music, this often acts a subtle signal to co-workers that you’re working on something important.

• Choose the items that always (or almost always) merit interrupting you. For instance, Rebecca has decided that when her 83-year-old mother calls, she has time to talk with her, even if she’s in the middle of doing something “important.”
• Give yourself a break. The important thing is to allow a certain amount of time for a break and schedule a specific time (or date) to resume your routine.
• Rediscover your motivation. It’s not healthy to rely on motivation alone, because it’s not always possible to stay motivated. But if you’re failing at your routines, it can be helpful to remember why you added certain things to your daily routine in the first place.
• Start over. If your routine completely fails and you lose all momentum, simply have the courage to start from scratch. This can be discouraging, but it is better than never getting back to it.

We all have interruptions. The important thing is to understand that they happen and to have a plan for when they occur.

Strategy #7: Learn to say no.

People often say yes when they should say no. There are many reasons why we do this— like not wanting to disappoint someone. But saying yes to everything puts a huge strain on your time and productivity. Do this enough and it’ll kill the success of your daily routine.

 Just remember this: Whenever you say “yes” to a request, you say “no” to something else in your life.

 Of course, there might be some people you feel you can’t say no to, such as a boss. If that’s the case, practice the “yes, but” method.

For example, you can say, “Yes, I’d be happy to do [requested item], but that will put me behind on [another important item]. Would you prefer that I do [requested item] first, or would it be better for me to focus on [the other important item] instead?”

 Keep in mind that saying no isn’t rude, and there are many ways to say no without using the word “no.” For instance, you can say something like, “Thanks so much for considering me for this fantastic opportunity, but I don’t have the bandwidth to do it justice right now.”

That approach affirms the person and opportunity without forcing you to give in to a request that isn’t right for you.

 Strategy #8: Eliminate inefficiencies.

There are many tasks you simply don’t need to do, and it may be possible to minimize others. For instance, a housewife may feel the need to vacuum every day, even if doing so once or twice a week is sufficient.

In other cases, a task needs to be done, but not necessarily by you. Using vacuuming as an example, the mom can perhaps delegate that task to one of her older children.

 If you’re a business owner, or in a management position, focus on the tasks that can only be done by you and delegate the rest to others.

Other tasks can be automated. For instance, you can set up email filters to automatically delete certain types of emails. A great resource for reducing time spent on computer-based tasks is the “If This, Then That” (IFTT) website. Use this tool to create recipes that streamline many services like Facebook, Evernote, FitBit, Twitter and Dropbox. To get started, just enter a site/ device that you regularly use and IFTT will provide a number of ideas for automating these processes.

Strategy #9: Use productivity tools.

In addition to IFTT, there are a number of tools you can use to reduce the amount of time you spend in front of a computer.

Rescue Time is a time-management program that monitors what you do on a computer and provides a daily report of your productivity.

Unroll.Me is a simple tool that hunts down all your subscriptions so you can look at them in a single email, unsubscribe from unwanted lists or ignore the email and keep it “as is.”

Sanebox is a third-party program that works with all email clients. Its purpose is to only allow important messages to show up in your inbox. The rest are sent to a separate folder. Then, at the end of the day (or at a time you specify), it will send you a message that contains everything in the “separate” folder.

Gmail (and other email services) has a tool for creating “canned responses” for common questions. You can use this to decrease the amount of communication you do through email.

If you don’t have Gmail, then TextExpander (for Mac) or FastFox (for PC) can help you quickly craft messages that are common to your particular job.

We currently live in an amazing age with infinite options for streamlining work activities, but you might have to do a little digging to identify the tools that work best for your work style and job responsibilities.

It’s been said that we spend one-third of our time working. Because of this, it’s critical to systematize your day so you get the most important things done first, without succumbing to the idea that you need to complete every task on a daily basis.

Being productive isn’t about getting more time so you can work more. Instead, you should strive to be productive to spend as much time as possible doing what you love and spending time with the people who truly matter.

To quote Senator Paul Tsongas, “Nobody on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.’”

If you work at the traditional 9-to-5 job, set the expectation that you don’t respond to email, text messages or phone calls when you’re not in the office. If you work from home, designate space in your home as office space and, from here on out, choose to work in only that one location.

Identify where you want to be five years from now, not just in business, but in other areas of life as well. Try one of three strategies to identify what you truly want:

1. Identify your personal passions.

“Find your passion” is a popular phrase gurus love to throw around. That said, there is something to be said about doing what you truly love. Sadly, though, many people aren’t even aware of what they want from life.

Instead, they’ve allowed the drudgery of a 9-to-5 existence to dull their desire to do anything of significance. You can’t figure out what you want from life with a simple exercise. It’s a process that often takes weeks— even months— to complete. One of Steve’s friends (Barrie Davenport) has an interesting book on this subject called The 52-Week Life Passion Project. While you don’t necessarily need a whole year to figure out what you want from life, you can use the multitude of exercises in this book to unlock what you truly want.

2. Create S.M.A.R.T. goals.

We get it—“ finding your passion” might be too woo-woo for you. Perhaps you’re someone who likes turning life goals into measurable daily actions. If that’s the case, then another option is to create a series of S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T is an acronym for: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-bound Now we purposely avoided the topic of S.M.A.R.T. goals until the end of this book, because most people create goals that are focused purely on work-related tasks. While setting work-related goals is important, it pales in comparison to using them to improve the quality of your life. We suggest that you set a series of goals in seven different areas: health, relationships, business, finance, leisure, spirituality and community. If you get stuck, ask yourself these questions:

• What are your heartfelt desires for you and your family?
• What have you always dreamed of doing?
• What activities make you feel inspired and driven?
• What thoughts give you goose bumps while imagining them?
• What things have you always wanted to own?
• What uplifts you spiritually?

The key to these questions is to take action. Don’t just write down an idea and say you’ll do it someday. As  you probably know, when you say “someday,” it often turns into “never.” The best way to achieve a goal is to treat it like a project and turn it into a series of steps. For instance, if you have a goal to take a two-week trip around Italy, you should break it down into a series of actions:

• Create a sample itinerary of the places you’d like to visit.
• Determine how much the trip would cost.
• Look for travel discounts and potential trip packages.
• Set up an automatic savings plan for this trip.
• Use a site (like Kayak.com) to get the cheapest available flight.
• Book the hotel rooms.

The point here is that we all have dreams, but not many people will take the time to figure out how to make them happen. The simplest way to do what you want is to create a goal and turn it into a step-by-step action plan.

3. Add bucket list items to your daily plans.

You’ve probably heard people talk about their bucket lists. These are the high-level experiences and challenges they’d like do before… you know… they kick the bucket. Sometimes the best way to spend your time isn’t looking for personal passions or achieving small goals. Instead, you might want to spend your time pursing those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

It might sound trite, but the simplest way to identify what you want is to imagine your future self lying on your deathbed. What are the things you’d regret not being able to do? What are the things you’d be most proud to have achieved? What relationships did you most enjoy? What experiences gave meaning to your daily existence? What lives did you improve through your actions and efforts? The point behind this exercise is to reverse-engineer the rest of your life. The “death bed analogy” is the simplest way to know what’s really important and what will ultimately be a waste of your time. The items you write down from this experience will become your bucket list.

Bucket lists provide an opportunity to do amazing things in your life, but you don’t have to fly to a different continent or get chased down a street by a pack of angry bulls to find meaning. Instead, you could slow down and learn to appreciate the world around you.

No matter what, schedule time to work on those goals and consider how you can incorporate small steps toward accomplishing them into your daily routines.

Choose a way to practice stillness, such as praying or journaling. Begin to practice this daily. For best results, start small (e.g., five minutes a day). You could also start a gratitude journal. If journaling isn’t your thing, try a different tactic for expressing gratitude. For instance, make a point of telling one person what you appreciate about them each day.